Hello Everyone!
Did you miss us? In case you didn’t notice, Craig and I took a couple of weeks off; the first time in over 15 years!
It was also the first time we sat on a plane together! As many of you know, we’ve been friends for almost two decades and have been on several trips but due to conflicting work schedules have always had to meet up at our destination. This time we were both already planning to attend the wedding of a mutual friend in England, so it was the perfect opportunity to try and synchronize our travel arrangements – and we finally managed it!
I’ve been flying solo for so many years it felt rather strange at first to have a companion, but I was relieved to discover that Craig is just as delightful a partner in the air as he is on the ground. Our arrival in to the UK was bittersweet for it was only a few hours later the world learned that the Queen had died. It felt rather odd to be in England knowing she was no longer at the helm – I don’t know whether this is an ex-pat thing, but it made me realize just how synonymous Great Britain and the Queen are to me and probably to many of you?
Mostly, I felt an emptiness and strangely enough, I didn’t feel compelled to join ‘the queue’ or rush to lay flowers at Buckingham Palace. Perhaps knowing if I did that would make it too real. Several of my friends and family members did go along and all say that they wouldn’t have missed it for the world. One of the lovely things to come out of it was to see Britain (briefly) united again. The majority of the shops across the country replaced their window displays with tributes to the Queen. The entire nation stopped for a minute of silence on the evening before the funeral. I happened to be on a tram in Nottingham at the time, and the driver came to a halt a few seconds before 8 pm to announce we would be pausing a national moment of mourning. It was quite overwhelming to imagine that moment was being shared by millions of people up and down the country.
The irony wasn’t lost on me that this was an event that Craig and I had pondered over for many years; as we knew when the day finally arrived we would want to put together some kind of impromptu gathering for our Brits in LA community, to not only mourn her passing but celebrate her life. But of course, we were ‘on a break’….
Perhaps it was rather serendipitous as solemn occasions are not really our forte. I’m curious to know how it felt being back here in LA with such a momentous occasion occurring in our motherland. I find I get terribly homesick when there are big events or news stories breaking from Britain – I still regret not being there for the Jubilee, the 2012 Olympics, or the Euros. Although, as I’ve just discovered the part that mostly appeals to me is not actually attending ‘the event’ but soaking up the surrounding atmosphere and community spirit that comes along with it. I guess it’s similar to being in Hollywood when the Oscars are on – you don’t necessarily need to go, but it is nice to know they are happening just down the road!
If any of you want to share your thoughts or have any comments on this or any other topic you can drop us a line at hello@Britsin.LA or comment on any of our social media platforms which can be found by our handle @BritsinLA.
And if you are craving a bit of community spirit why not come along to our weekly pub quiz at the Market Tavern – it’s every Tuesday from 7.30pm. Make sure to get there a few mins before if you need help finding a team to join. Visit www.Britsin.LA for details.
Cheers!
Eileen
